This invention relates to air conditioning equipment suitable for residential use, and especially to room air conditioners of the type adapted for installation in an outside window opening. More particularly, the invention relates to the construction of a room air conditioner that minimizes the obstruction it causes to the view and to entry of natural daylight through the window in which it is mounted while at the same time having a relatively small intrusion into the interior space.
Room air conditioners currently available are generally designed for mounting on the window sill of a window frame with double-hung sash-type windows. The air conditioning unit is generally mounted in cantilever fashion in the window opening defined by the window sill, the bottom rail of the lower sash (partly opened), and the adjacent window jambs.
In most of these units, the height of the air conditioner is considerable and the unit may obstruct as much as thirty percent or more of the window area. This, of course, causes a substantial loss of natural daylight and also interferes with the view provided by the window. Several attempts have been made to reduce this problem, and some of these have included separating the evaporator heat exchanger and fan physically from the condenser heat exchanger and fan. This approach results in a rather complex and cumbersome unit, with certain inefficiencies including the need for two separate motors for the respective heat exchanger fans.
Another approach is to include a downwardly extending enclosure portion located on the outside of the window so that the compressor and motor, condenser heat exchanger and fan can be positioned so as to extend significantly below the horizontal level of the window sill. While this may provide a partial solution, the need to provide adequate space for the evaporator heat exchanger still requires a substantial blockage of the window area.
Typical of the patents that have addressed this problem are the following:
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Another problem that presents itself in the installation of room air conditioners is the difficulty in mounting the unit in a level position in view of the slope formed by the surface of the sill.
While the sill may be sufficiently wide to define mounting structure and to accommodate a significant part of the weight of the unit, the slope that is provided for moisture run-off makes it difficult to achieve a level mounting.
The low profile room air conditioner of the present invention reduces the difficulties and disadvantages described above and affords other features and advantages heretofore not obtainable.